Dick Lugar: “today the Senate passes H.R. 5682, the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act. This…”

“today the Senate passes H.R. 5682, the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act. This agreement is the most important strategic diplomatic initiative undertaken by President Bush. By concluding this pact and the far-reaching set of cooperative agreements that accompany it, the President has embraced a long-term outlook that seeks to enhance the core strength of our foreign policy in a way that will give us new diplomatic options and improve global stability. The Committee on Foreign Relations undertook an extensive review of this agreement. We held 4 public hearings with testimony from 17 witnesses, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. We received a classified briefing from Under Secretaries of State Nick Burns and Bob Joseph. Numerous briefings were held for staff with experts from the Congressional Research Service, the State Department, and the National Security Council. I submitted more than 170 written questions for the record to the Department of State on details of the agreement and posted the answers on my web site. The agreement allows India to receive nuclear fuel, technology, and reactors from the United States--benefits that were previously denied to India because of its status outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, (NPT).”